


It's Empty Without You

by KatandTonic



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, F/F, Idk y'all I don't want to spoil it in the tags, Infidelity, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28908669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatandTonic/pseuds/KatandTonic
Summary: What do you do when the love of your life won't talk to you anymore?
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 7
Kudos: 106





	It's Empty Without You

Beca pulled the blanket over her face, trying to keep the sun out of her eyes and get a few more minutes of sleep. It was a battle she’d been fighting for the last 3 weeks, and she knew it was futile, but sleeping on a couch was bad enough, it would be nice if she wasn’t woken up at an ungodly hour every day because Stacie refused to buy curtains. 

After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, Beca finally gave up, pushing the thin blanket off of herself and stretching. Her whole body ached, she didn’t want to sound like a diva, but she really missed her memory foam mattress and blackout shades. She couldn’t let her mind drift to the other things she missed, otherwise she’d never get up. She could hear Stacie cooking breakfast in the kitchen, but she ignored it as she made her way to the bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes out of the suitcase she was living out of on the way. 

Beca could choose to stay in a fancy hotel. She could rent an apartment or house fully furnished if she wanted, it’s not like money was an issue. She thought about it every morning as she battled against the sunlight. She talked it over with her therapist twice a week, she thought about it now, as she wiped the condensation from her shower off the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Something about those options felt disingenuous though, like a vacation from the reality of her current situation. Her therapist kept telling her she was punishing herself for what happened by taking away any comforts she had, but the truth was, she just didn’t want to be alone and Stacie was always there when she fell apart at 2 in the morning. 

There was coffee waiting for her when she shuffled into the kitchen. Stacie sitting at the island flipping through a medical journal while she dragged toast through what was left of her eggs. 

“Do you want a ride down to Palm Springs?” Stacie asked, closing her magazine and watching Beca as she poured cereal. “The rehearsal starts at 5 so I figured I’d leave here before 2 to check in and stuff.” 

“Can’t” Beca mumbled, her mouth full of corn flakes “I have to pick Zo up from school and bring her to my moms.” 

“You can’t be late for the rehearsal, you’re IN the wedding” 

“I talked it over with Emily already, she’s fine with it.” she pushed the cereal around the bowl “I haven’t seen Zoe in almost 2 weeks, I just want to spend some time with her even if it’s just a car ride from school to my moms house.” 

“You know you could ask to see her more…” Stacie probes. “Chloe can’t keep your daughter from you.” 

“I don’t want to push her, Stace” Beca nudged the bowl away and took a sip of her coffee, wincing a little as the still too hot liquid scorched her tongue. Not seeing Zoe every day was slowly killing her, she got to talk to her almost every night at least, when Aubrey who had seemingly taken up residence in her home would help the 4 year old call to tell her about her day and say goodnight. It was also those calls when she would find out from her former captain that Chloe was still not ready to talk to her. 

“You’ve seen your kid once in 3 weeks and it was basically chaperoned by my girlfriend. That’s not fair to you, Bec.” 

“Can we not do this right now?” Beca asked, pushing her hair out of her face and resting her face in her palms, her elbows resting on the hard counter. “Can we just focus on Emily and Benji getting married and not me and Chloe?” 

-

_Chloe checked her watch to see how many miles she’d run as she made it to the bottom of the hill, their street in sight a half mile away. She had decided to get a run after work before it got too dark out. She’d been so busy lately with Zoe, Beca having been around less as she finished her album so she took the sitter up on her offer to wait until Beca got home before heading out. She loved running, and in the 2 years since they bought their Hollywood Hills home she had found her perfect route, a mix of neighborhood streets and trails, mostly pretty flat but with a few tough hills, that started and ended at her front door and usually took her about 45 minutes. It was her happy place, a place where she could clear her head and get away from her responsibilities for awhile._

_She slowed down as she rounded the corner to their house. Focusing in her breathing and making sure to stretch out her legs before punching in the code on their front door and letting herself inside._

_“Hi Mommy!” Zoe said, looking up from the dinosaurs she was playing with on the living room floor._

_“Hey Princess” Chloe pressed a kiss to the little girls head, still a little breathless from her exercise. “Is your Mama upstairs?”_

_The little girl nodded, clearly in her own world with her toys, earning a smile from Chloe as she made her way to the stairs and more importantly, the shower. She heard it running as she made her way towards the master suite, smiling bigger at the thought of a few private minutes with her girlfriend while their daughter was preoccupied downstairs. She pushed the door to their bedroom open, freezing in her tracks at the extremely naked babysitter in her bed._

_“Oh my god!” Lauren yelped, pulling the sheet over herself._

_“What the fuck?” Chloe gasped, barely above a whisper as she took in the scene in front of her. What were clearly Becas clothes made a path from the door into the room, Lauren fully nude in their bed, it didn’t take long for her to put the pieces together._

_“We didn’t expect -” the babysitter started, reaching around on the floor for her clothes_

_“Get out!” Chloe yelled, finding her voice. Taking quick steps over to the bed and physically pulling Lauren out of it. “Get out of my house right now!”_

_“Babe, is that you?” Beca called from the bathroom, confusion clearly evident in her voice. Chloe heard the water turn off and the shower door open. “Are you ok?”_

_The redhead grabbed Becas clothes off the floor and took a few steps to the bathroom door before throwing them as hard as she could at her girlfriend who had wrapped herself in a towel as she made her way out of the shower. “You get out, too!”_

_“What the hell?” Becas confusion grew as took careful strides following Chloe back into the bedroom, trying not to slip on the tile bathroom floor since she hadn’t had a chance to properly dry off. “Chloe what -”_

_Beca froze at the doorway, seeing Lauren covering herself with her clothes and putting the pieces together as to what was going on. “You said she wouldn’t be back for awhile!”_

_“I said get out!” Chloe yelled, throwing a shoe at the babysitter._

_“I never said that!” Beca turned to Chloe, trying her best to defend herself “Chloe I swear -”_

_She could see her girlfriends eyes flooding with tears as she made her way over to her, tucking her towel into itself to free up her hands, reaching out for the redhead “Baby I promise this isn’t what it looks like.”_

_Chloe pushed Becas hands away, backing up out of her reach. She bumped into the wall, her body visibly deflating. “Beca, get out of this house.”_

-

“Mama” Zoe shrieked when she saw Beca waiting outside her school. She took off in a full sprint, moving as fast as her little legs would carry her, her drawing nearly flying out of her hand as she leapt into Becas waiting arms. “Mama, I missed you!” 

“I missed you too, Bug” Beca spun her around as she stood up, before propping the little girl on her hip and making her way back to her car. “Did you have fun at school today?” 

The small girl recounted her day from story time to the playground to learning how to spell her name while Beca walked them back to her car and got her daughter strapped into her booster seat. “And look Mama, I drew a picture!” 

Beca looked at the picture that her daughter was proudly holding out for her. A small figure that was obviously Zoe in the middle between the rough drawings of Chloe and...Aubrey. She forced a smile on her face, knowing that Zoe didn’t mean anything by it, but it felt like a kick to the gut. She was 4, she didn’t understand what was going on, but it hurt that the family she saw every day didn’t have her in it right now. 

“It’s beautiful baby.” Beca pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’m sure Mommy will clear a spot on the fridge for it.” 

She heard a squeal of delight as she closed the door and made her way to the driver's seat. The drive over to her moms house was uneventful, Zoe babbling on in the backseat about her gymnastics class and how she wanted to play soccer in the spring but how Chloe still hadn’t decided if she was big enough but she thought she was big enough because David who sat next to her played soccer and if he could, she definitely could. It made her smile a bit, thinking about her tiny little girl, small even by 4 year old standards, believing enough in herself to play against kids bigger than her. She figured her and Chloe had done something right. 

Beca dropped Zoes bag in the spare room, the little girl having already lost interest in her in favor of the aging spaniel that was laying on the floor. “Zoe, don’t pull Ralphs ears” Beca warned, as she walked across the room to where her mother was standing watching from the kitchen. “I think she should be fine, I checked to make sure her stuffed parrot was in there but she’s got plenty of clothes and it’s only 2 nights.” 

“We’ll be fine, Beca” her mom smiled, giving her arm a lighthearted swat “she’s stayed here before and worst case scenario, we can go out and buy her something if she wants.” 

“Don’t spoil her.” Beca laughed, turning to give her mom a hug “I’ll have my phone if you need me.” 

Beca made her way across the room, pinching Zoes sides in a tickle that made her squeal. “Com’ere monster, give me a hug.” 

“Mama, you’re leaving?” it broke Becas heart how fast the girl could go from ecstatic to sad. “Stay and play with Ralph with me?” 

“I can’t, Bug.” Beca sighed, lifting the small girl up and pulling her into a hug “but I’ll be back in 2 days and you, me and Ralph can have a playdate. How about that?” 

“And Mommy?” 

“I don’t know about that baby” Beca sighed, pushing a kiss to her daughters forehead. “but we’ll see” 

-

“It’s about time you got here, Shawshank” Amy teased, as Beca rolled her luggage though the hotel lobby. Half the group seems to have taken up residence at the hotel bar, Flo already clearly drunk by the way Cynthia Rose was basically holding her up. “Time to show all these retirees how to party.” 

“Hey guys.” Beca laughed, allowing herself to be engulfed in hugs from her friends. It was rare to get all of them together and while she would never admit it to anyone besides Chloe, she missed her friends since they’d all scattered all over the country almost a decade ago. “Have you guys seen Stacie?” 

“Aubrey is making her help set up for the rehearsal dinner.” Jessica offered, before looking at her watch “...which is in less than an hour.” 

“Ok well someone is going to have to help me get this one upstairs and sobered up” Cynthia Rose moved her arm a bit, trying to get Flo standing on her own again. Ashley made her way over, looping the small girls other arm around her shoulders. “Come on Flo, there’s a nice cold shower waiting for you”

The girls all migrated towards the elevator leaving just Beca and Amy behind, “You ready to see her?” Beca motioned to untouched double pour of whiskey on the table next to her friend, Amy nodded indicating it was hers and watched as Beca picked it up and downed it in 1 go. “Well I guess that answers that.” 

-

“Well that’s one way to win her back” Stacie whinked as Beca made her way into the private dining dining room of the resturant “You look fucking hot.” 

“Uh, thanks” Beca was wearing a fitted black vest with nothing underneath and a grey blazer. She hadn’t really known what to wear, always struggling with semi formal dress codes not wanting to be too dressed up or too casual. She grabbed a glass of wine off the table where they had been staged by the staff for the cocktail portion of the evening. “Is she here yet?” 

“Her and Aubrey are helping Emily get ready, they should be here soon.” Beca nodded, taking a sip of her wine as she looked around the room. She recognized a lot of faces, the Bellas and Trebles obviously, but also Emily's mom and a few of her non-Bellas friends. She knew that some music industry people were invited to the wedding, Emily having made a nice indie career for herself after Flashlight, but they wouldn’t be at the rehearsal so Beca couldn’t hide in that group until tomorrow. “You ready to see her?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Beca scowled, eyes scanning the room again.

“Oh, I don’t know, probably because we all hate this and want our friends to work it out.” 

“I’m surprised the other girls are even talking to me.” she scoffed, taking another sip of her wine and digging her free hand into her pocket. 

“They don’t know what happened.” Beca coughed on her wine in surprise, bringing her hand up to prevent herself from spitting it everywhere. “Good thing you got that out now, because it was not attractive.” 

“She didn’t tell them?” Beca asked in shock, Stacie just nodded. “And for the record, nothing happened.” 

“I know that.” Stacie assured her, before something caught her eye. She gently swatted Becas arm and motioned with her head towards the door. Beca got the hint and looked over to see Chloe walking in with Aubrey, her heart rate speeding up just at the sight of her. 

Chloe looked beautiful, she always did, but she’d clearly put more effort in tonight than usual. Her hair fell in long waves and she’d gone for a smokey eye, which was not her usual repretuare. She was wearing a dress that Beca had never seen before, navy blue and tight without being too revealing and the brunette couldn’t help but think she was putting on a show for her. She knew that navy was her favorite color on her, and that she was a sucker for Chloe wearing her hair like that. 

“You know, it’s probably for the best that y’all aren’t together anymore because you’re both too hot. You’d probably break the universe or something.” 

Beca took her eyes away from Chloe for just a second to glare at her best friend and when she looked back she noticed the redhead was looking at her. They locked eyes and for the first time since they met all those years ago, Beca felt like she was devoid of happiness. She seemed to have aged 10 years since the last time she saw her, not in wrinkles or age spots, but she looked exhausted, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and it killed Beca knowing she was the reason behind it. Chloe always exuded joy in an almost contagious way, but just just looked sad. 

Beca hung out in the corner with Stacie for most of the cocktail hour, offering polite conversation when people approached but staying to herself. She wanted nothing more than to go talk to Chloe, but she could tell that her girlfriend was making a conscious effort to stay on the other side of the room. A few times when she’d looked up, Beca had caught Chloe watching, but she quickly looked away when she knew she’d been seen. 

“Ok, I’m going to cross no mans land and talk to my girlfriend” Stacie finally announced after half an hour. “You’ll be ok being a recluse in the corner?” 

Beca had been lost in her own mind, nodded quickly before doing a scan of the room, spotting Chloe over at the hors d'oeuvres table, deciding to take the plunge and walk over while Aubrey was preoccupied with Stacie. 

“You look amazing.” Beca whispered over Chloe's shoulder as she took a spot at the table next to her, their backs to the room. She saw Chloe tense up and it cracked her heart a little more. Beca picked up a plate and placed a few things on it without paying much attention to what she was grabbing. “Can we talk?” 

“You’re allergic to carrots.” Chloe said softly, barely above a whisper, after a pause that Beca thought was never going to end. 

“What?” Becas took her eyes off the table and glanced at the woman next to her, her body still straight ahead. Chloe’s eyes were still on the food in front of them. 

“That has carrots in it.” Chloe motioned to Becas plate causing the brunette to look down. When she looked up, her girlfriend was already walking away. 

-

Beca took a step outside after dinner, the night seemed like it was still hours from being over and she needed a second to get away from everyone. Being in the same room with Chloe without being _with her_ hurt more than she thought it would. 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a lone cigarette, lighting it quickly before putting the lighter back in her pocket. She leaned against a column and looked out on the golf course behind the hotel, blowing a long stream of smoke. 

“You said you quit.” Beca froze at Chloe's voice. She didn’t sound mad, just sad. Always sad. 

“I did” Beca took another draw before snubbing it out on the column and tossing it in the trash. She didn’t smoke, not really at least. She did when she was stressed out in college, maybe once or twice a month, but Chloe had asked her to quit when they started dating and she had without a second thought. “Can we talk now?”

“Do you smoke around Zoe?” Chloe stood on the opposite side of the patio, leaning against the wall with her feet crossed 

“What?” Beca took a step towards her, stopping when Chloe shook her head, picking up that Chloe didn’t want her to come closer. “No, of course I don’t.” 

Chloe nodded, looking at the ground near Becas feet. “Was she ok at your moms?” 

“Yeah, she was fine.” Beca shook her head, smiling at the thought of her daughter. Their silly little 4 year old that was always happy, always the first to laugh and the quickest to give hugs “She loves Ralph, barely even noticed I left.” 

Chloe nodded, her eyes filling with tears that she quickly brushed away. Beca could tell she was thinking about something, it felt like the heaviest pause Beca had ever experienced. “We were going to get her a dog.” 

“We still can.” Beca pressed, taking a step closer and finally locking eyes with her girlfriend. Chloe looked so broken and it was like a dagger to her heart. “Chloe, I didn’t do it.” 

“She was in our bed, Beca!” A sob escaped from Chloe's mouth as she yelled across the patio, as the tears she’d been fighting finally fell “I saw her Beca! She was naked in our bed and your clothes were on the floor.” 

At that Chloe lost any composure she had while sobs overtook her. She tried to gather herself, her hands quickly wiping the tears away as her body continued to shake. Beca took a few steps closer, wanting nothing more to hold Chloe and tell her that it would be ok, tell her that she loved her and that she’d never do anything to hurt her, but as she approached Chloe put her hand up to stop her. 

“Please let me expl-” 

“I can’t do this right now.” Chloe interrupted, pushing herself upright and wiping her tears. Beca could see her steeling herself, putting on a strong armor. “We can talk after the wedding.” 

“Chlo, please just listen for a second.” Beca finally closed the gap between them, softly grabbing her girlfriends hand hoping to stop her from walking away. Chloe pulled away as if she had been burned, glaring at Beca through her tears before turning and quickly walking back towards the door. “Chloe, please!” 

The redhead pulled the door open and didn’t look back. 

\- 

Beca spent most of the morning of the wedding in her room working. She’d gone downstairs for brunch with the Bellas, giving Chloe the space that she desired. Afterward everyone had split off until they needed to be back to get ready. Not all of the Bellas were part of the wedding party, but they were all still getting ready together as if they were. 

Amy has tried to get Beca to stay and hang out in the bar with her and Cynthia Rose, but Beca had claimed she had a deadline which wasn’t really a lie, but the deadline wasn’t for weeks. She just didn’t want to drag everyone down, it was a party weekend after all and she just didn’t feel like partying. 

Beca had poured herself into work the last few weeks, having finished recording her new album right before everything fell apart but like most writers, the emotional upheaval of the last month had had songs flowing out of her. She’d managed to write 5 songs in just 3 weeks, having already recorded a couple, and it had her producers talking about a companion album. The original one that was already in post production was upbeat pop songs with a few strong ballads mixed in. The new stuff she was writing was sad and raw and emotional. A sharp turn from her portfolio to date, but also showed off her voice more than anything she’d ever recorded. 

She felt her phone vibrate, letting her headphones fall down around her neck as she pulled it out of her pocket. 

**Stacie Long Legs:** You can’t hide in your room forever, come have drinks with the girls

 **Beca:** _Is Chloe there? And when did you change your name on my phone._

 **Stacie Long Legs:** Yes, and I’m never telling. 

**Beca** : _Just let Chloe have fun, I’ll meet up with you guys in a little bit._

 **Stacie Long Legs:** She’s not having fun, Bec. She’s miserable. 

**Beca:** No point in making it worse then. Emily's room at 3, right?

She didn’t bother waiting for a response, she knew the time and the place, she just needed a way to end the conversation. She hated missing on this time with the Bellas, but based on what she’d seen last night and this morning, Chloe was barely holding it together, she needed the Bellas more than Beca did. 

Beca was always one to put others’ needs in front of her own, she didn’t like showing emotion so it worked out well. She’d wear herself thin accommodating other people's needs, even if she didn’t have the time or mental capacity for it. If people didn’t know that she was tired or stressed, they couldn’t use it against her which meant she didn’t say no nearly as often as she should. Chloe and her had gotten into fights about it before, about how Beca wasn’t around enough because she kept committing to things she really didn’t have time for, but as she’d climbed the ranks she had more control over her schedule, and put a priority on being home with Chloe and Zoe. 

But it also meant that there weren’t that many people that picked up on Beca being at the end of her rope. Stacie did sometimes, Aubrey usually could but made little effort to see what was wrong, but Chloe, Chloe could tell by just looking at Beca. She could tell by a single sigh, a hug that may last a beat longer than usual, or by the song she was humming to herself. Not only was Chloe hurting in a way that Beca couldn’t seem to fix but she had lost the one person that could bring her comfort through a simple look.

Beca shook her head trying to refocus on the song she was working on, if she couldn’t have Chloe at least music was still a constant. 

-

Emily's suite was packed with girls and bags and dresses hanging off of every vertical surface. Aubrey had taken it upon herself to go around and steam all of them, while everyone else got ready. In her normal fashion, she had already arrived with her makeup and hair done, scolding everyone else for not being up to her level of preparedness. 

“Make space ya twigs” Amy bellowed, hip checking Emily out of the way so she could get some vanity space to do her makeup. 

“Girl, did you really just push the bride out of the way on her wedding day?” Cynthia Rose asked, she stood behind the row of Bellas and helped Jessica curl her hair.

“Sorry not sorry” she shrugged, dumping the contents of her makeup bag on the counter. “I’m gonna make Bumper jealous so I need some mirror time.” 

Beca snorted a laugh before tossing her stuff back in her bag and heading back out into the living area, relishing the idea of getting a few calm minutes to sit down while everyone else finished getting ready.

“Fuck, fuck, _fuck”_ Beca looked up from where she was sitting in by the window to see Chloe frantically digging through her bag. “Aubrey, have you seen my eye pallet?” 

“No” The blonde didn’t even look up from where she was tackling Amys extremely wrinkled dress “Did you leave it in your room?” 

“I haven’t used it all weekend” Her voice was about an octave higher than usual, the stress evident in her words. Beca watched as her girlfriend turned her bag over, emptying all of the contents onto the couch. “God, I must have left it at home.” 

“I’m sure one of the girls has one you can use.” Aubrey hummed, shooting a stream of steam at a particularly set in wrinkle. “Jesus Amy, did you consider hanging this up at any point?” 

“I thought about it.” The Australian called back, earning a round of laughter from the bathroom. 

“Chloe, Stacie packed an entire suitcase of makeup, I’m sure you can find something.” A hiss followed by a puff of steam came out of the want again, as Aubrey continued to fight with the dress. 

Beca watched Chloe slowly start to spiral as she often did when stressed out, she put down her drink making her way over to her girlfriend extending her own pallet out to her as the redhead dug through her bag for the 5th time. 

Chloe looked up at her, shrinking a little when she saw who it was “You don’t have to, I can borrow something from Stacie.” 

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. It felt like the entire room had shrunk away for a few seconds while they looked at each other. Both of them had been pointedly avoiding each other all afternoon, while clearly trying not to make it awkward or obvious for anyone else. Beca had been watching her though, seeing her smile never quite make it to her eyes. 

“It’s the same one as your favorite and we use different colors.” Beca shrugged, her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest from the most basic interaction. “It’s not a big deal, Chlo.” 

She watched as her girlfriend swallowed hard as she pondered the offer for a few seconds, before nodding “Thank you.” 

“Yeah.” Beca retreated to the window, tipping back the rest of her champagne while she waited. Everything seemed to get a little more frantic as the minutes tipped by, Emily's mom arrived and then the photographer. Beca, Chloe, Flo and Amy donned their bridesmaids dresses and were jockeyed around for pictures while the rest of the Bellas cracked open another bottle of champagne and tried to distract the bridal party while they posed for the photographer. 

She wasn’t sure if Emily had warned the photographer, but it seemed like she knew not to pose Beca and Chloe next to each other, and she was glad for it. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin Emilys pictures, but she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to force a smile while pressed up against her girlfriend that really wasn’t anymore. 

“Alright bitches, it’s showtime.” Amy yelled when Emily's father arrived to bring them downstairs. 

“Amy!” 

-

It was a good thing all of the Bellas were fun drunks, because by the time the dinner plates were cleared and the dancing started, half of them were clearly past any point of sobriety. Beca sat at the table, a fresh Manhattan in her hand, smiling while watching her friends jump around the dance floor. She’d missed them, their goofiness and their ability to keep her entertained no matter how much she used to pretend it annoyed her. 

She wished they were able to get everyone together more often, they hadn’t all been in the same place since Chloe's baby shower over 4 years ago. They’d had Bellas reunions since then, but there was always at least a few people missing, and while it was always fun and memorable and full of hangovers, there was something different about getting all of them together in 1 place, something that gave her a pleasant feeling of fullness, like she could turn the porch light out because everyone was safely home.

Amy slid into the seat next to her, breathless from jumping around on the dance floor. She grabbed a random drink off the table that Beca was certain was not hers, and watched as her friend threw it back. “Come dance, Shawshank!” 

“I’m good here, thanks” Beca laughed, lifting her drink towards her friend before taking a sip, “The world does not need to see my bad dance moves.” 

“Your girlfriend needs someone to dance with though.” Amy grabbed another drink off the table and took a sip, wincing as it went down “ugh that’s gross.” 

“It’s an open bar, go get your own.” Beca laughed again. “And Chloe doesn’t want to dance with me, I promise.” 

She looked across the room to where Chloe and Aubrey had sat down on the edge of the dance floor, both of them flushed with alcohol and dancing. 

“I need y’all to figure it out because I hate when Mom and Dad are fighting.” 

Beca rolled her eyes, but continued to watch Chloe. Anyone that didn’t know her would think she looked happy, even some of the Bellas probably couldn’t tell. She’d thrown herself onto the dance floor with the rest of the Bellas as soon as the music started playing and had stayed there most of the night, but whenever someone wasn’t looking her face would fall, and no matter how big she smiled it never made her glow. 

She quickly looked away when Amy suddenly stood up from the table, a scheming look on her face and turned to leave. 

“Amy what are you doing?!?” Beca stage whispered after her.

“I’m off to save Bhloe!” she was already power walking across the room to where Emily and Benji were standing taking a break from hosting. She pulled Emily aside and whispered something in her ear, getting a smile and nod from the bride and then she was off again, grinning at Beca as she ran past the table and earning a warning look in response. Amy made her way over to the DJ as Becas heart rate rose, unsure of what her friend was planning. 

She watched as the DJ nodded and started doing something on his computer before fading the song out and starting a new one, and as soon as the first notes came through the speakers, Beca knew what Amys plan was. The song that was playing was her and Chloe's song, the one she’d written for her girlfriend all those years ago. 

She felt like her heart was in her throat, looking across the room at her girlfriend who was already looking her direction. Aubrey quickly got up from the table, angrily walking away, most likely to tell the DJ to turn it off Beca guessed, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Chloe. She heard her own voice singing the first few verses, before she finally stood up and started making her way over to where the other woman was sitting. 

“Dance with me?” Beca asked, her voice shaking as she held out her hand for Chloe to take. 

“Bec…” she heard a waver in her voice, and could almost see the battle going on in her mind. 

“I told you we’d always dance to this song.” she cleared her throat. She was more nervous than she thought she’d ever been, more so than Worlds, or performing for the President or even proposing a few months earlier. She knew all their friends were watching them too. “Please Chlo.” 

She watched the battle go on in Chloe's eyes for a few more seconds, before she nodded, placing her hand in Becas and allowing herself to be led to the dancefloor. She heard a hushed celebration from the corner most of the Bellas had gathered in, ignoring it in favor of wrapping her hand around Chloe's waist, and holding her hand firmly as they gently started to sway together on the dance floor. 

They moved silently for a few moments, fitting together like they always did. Beca had always claimed she didn’t like dancing, but she had soon learned that she just didn’t like dancing with anyone but Chloe. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed it, the slow dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooked, or a slow moment after putting Zoe to bed. It had become their thing, tender moments between the 2 of them that grounded them both in the midst of the craziness that was their lives and Beca had soon craved them. 

“ _Never used to get excited, to sit her in silence_ ” Beca started singing softly, she felt Chloe relax a little in her arms, resting her head Becas shoulder as they continued to move together. “ _Holding on to something, the way I’m holding you.”_

She’d written the song about a year into their relationship. They’d already exchanged ‘I love yous’ and Chloe had all but officially moved into Becas New York City apartment. Everything had changed for them at lightning speed after the USO Tour, she’d gotten a record deal, Chloe had graduated and started working full time at a clinic and they were _them_ now, and Beca had needed a way to express to her girlfriend what it had all meant to her. She was bad at words, still was to an extent, but in the early days she had been so scared of everything, convinced that a single wrong step would send Chloe running for the hills that she had needed to get it out and music was the obvious choice. She’d ended up recording it and had been a wild success, but it was always _their song_ no matter how many other couples had adopted it over the years. 

“ _It’s funny how everything I dreamed about, starts to seem so empty without you”_ The song was coming to a close, she could hear sniffles, and feel tears on her shoulder as she continued to whisper the words to her girlfriend “ _It’s a million things about you, and I don’t know what it is, but I have never known a love like this.”_

The last notes of piano started to drift off and they continued to sway together, almost as if they didn’t want to break their bubble. 

“How could you do it?” Chloe finally asked, her voice so soft and sad that Beca had barely heard her. “Were you unhappy and I didn’t notice?” 

“Chlo, I promise you, nothing happened.” 

Chloe stood up, letting go of Beca and quickly wiping her eyes with her hands. “Beca I saw you!” Before she could respond, Chloe rushed off the dance floor and out of the room. 

“Go get her, you idiot.” Amy yelled across the room, and she didn’t need to be told twice, quickly running down the hallway after her girlfriend. 

-

Beca had been looking around for 15 minutes before finally finding Chloe down on the putting green outside the back of the hotel. It was dark, but the lights from the patio illuminated it enough to see. 

“Chloe, will you please listen to me!” Beca yelled as she got closer, causing Chloe to jump before turning around. Her eyes and nose were red from crying, her makeup smudged from where she tried to wipe the tears off her face. “I’m getting really tired of chasing you.”

“Then stop following me, Beca” Chloe snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at the smaller girl. 

“You know, this is such bullshit.” Beca started. She didn’t know where the sudden anger was coming from, but if she was honest with herself it had been building for several weeks. “You didn’t see what you thought you saw and I get how what you walked in on was bad but you won’t let me even explain and it’s bullshit.” 

“What is there to explain, Beca?” the redhead yelled back “That at some point along the road I wasn’t enough for you? That instead of talking to me you decided to fuck the babysitter.” 

“Dammit Chloe, how many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t fuck the babysitter.” she threw her arms up and started pacing, her heels sinking into the green a little with each step. 

“She was naked in our bed!” 

“I wasn’t though!” 

“Your clothes were on the floor!” 

“Because I spilled coffee on myself on the way home!” Beca stopped pacing and faced Chloe from where she stood 10 feet away. “I wanted to take a shower because I was covered in fucking coffee and milk and she said she’d wait with Zoe until I was done or you got back! I didn’t know she was there!” 

She watched Chloe's face change, like she was suddenly questioning the reality that she had been living in for almost a month. 

“I know what you thought you saw was devastating and I probably would have reacted the same way, but even once you calmed down you still believed that I could do that to you? That I could just throw away our family?” 

“Bec-”

Three weeks worth of pent up anger and frustration was flowing out of her. Anger at Lauren for setting her up, anger at herself for having no clue it was going to happen and honestly, anger at Chloe for not listening to her. Should couldn’t help it as tears started falling down her face quickly getting brushed aside as she continued. 

“And you just shut me out!” She cried, tears streaming down her face faster than she could wipe them away. “You just made up your mind and that was it and god Chloe, that was the worst part. We were happy, we were so fucking happy and we were going to get married and fill that house with kids and grow old and still be stupid in love and you just gave up on me! 

“Beca, stop.” 

“No, you have to believe me, Chlo! I didn’t do it, I could never do it.” 

Chloe made her way across the green, finally grabbing Becas arm to keep her from walking away. “Bec, hey stop.” 

“Please” She begged, it coming out as a choked sob. Chloe lifted her hands to cup her face, brushing the tears away. “I can’t lose you.” 

“You’re not going to lose me.” Chloe assured her, leaning in and kissing her forehead. “I believe you.” 

Like a dam giving way, Beca lost all composure as sobs overtook her. Chloe pulled her close, holding her while she fell apart, 3 weeks of exhaustion, heartbreak and frustration spilled out as she clung to her girlfriend, tucking her face under her chin and allowing herself to break down. 

“I’m so sorry.” Chloe soothed, running her hand up through Becas hair. Tears were falling down her own face, ignored in favor of trying to comfort the younger girl. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry.

-

Shoes in hand, Beca and Chloe made their way back to Becas hotel room several hours later having spent the night partying with their friends. They’d made a pit stop earlier to fix their makeup before making their way back down to the reception, earning a raucous greeting when the Bellas saw their linked hands. 

Minds foggy with happiness and exhaustion, the 2 of them moved in sync through their nighttime routines, a dance that they had perfected over the years. A step to the side to make room for the other at the sink, a wordless pass of a towel and a handing off of toothpaste. It was a perfectly choreographed ballet, oftentimes like tonight, silent except for the sound of toothbrushes on teeth or water splashing in the sink. 

“I missed you.” Chloe's voice was soft with tiredness, but her smile was still bright, as she lay facing Beca in the king sized bed, her left hand linked with Becas right. The brunette scooted forward, until their bodies were almost flush together and tucked her face into Chloes chest, allowing her girlfriend to fully wrap her arms around her. 

“I missed you too.” Beca leaned up, placing a soft kiss on Chloes jaw before burrowing closer to her girlfriend. “M’tired”

She felt Chloe vibrate with laughter, before she leaned down and kissed her hair. “Go to sleep, baby. I love you.” 

“Love you.” With that, Beca allowed herself to relax and for the first time in weeks, drifted off to a restful nights sleep. 

-

“Mommy!” Zoe yelled as she pushed the front door of the house open, her grandmother following behind her with her bag. “Mommy, I’m home!” 

Chloe and Beca could hear small footsteps running towards the living room as they made their way toward the front door from where they had been sitting curled up together on the couch, hands knotted together and soft smiles on their faces. 

“Mama’s here too!” Zoe shreaked, launching herself into Becas arms as her mothers turned the corner into the foyer. 

“Hi, baby” Beca laughed, hugging her daughter to her tightly. “Did you have fun with Gramma this weekend?” 

“I played with Ralph an-and we brought him to the park and gave him a bath and then we went to the movies and I got a soda and popcorn all to myself!” Zoe explained, her words jumbling together at the speed they were coming out of her mouth. “And Ralph slept on my bed since I have big girl bed at Grammas house now!” 

“Wow!” Chloe smiled, reaching over and pushing Zoe's hair out of her face to give her a kiss. “Sounds like you had a busy weekend.” 

Zoe squirmed to be let down and as soon as her feet hit the floor she was running to where her backpack had landed rifling through it while the 3 adults smiled on. A few seconds later she was zipping back across the room, a drawing in her hands that she enthusiastically presented to Beca. 

It very clearly supposed to be the 3 of them, with what looked like it was supposed to be a dog in the corner. “Is that Ralph?” 

“No!” she exclaimed, like that was the silliest question she’d ever heard. “That’s my dog that I-I don’t have yet. I made it for you to bring with you to Aunt Stacies.” 

Chloe knelt down so she was at Zoe's eye level, reaching out to hold her daughters small hands in her own. “What if I told you that Mama was gonna stay here again?” 

“Really?!?” Zoe’s voice went up an octave as she looked back and forth between her mothers, a giddy smile on her face before she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck. “I think that sounds perfect!” 

Chloe stood up, the little girl in her arms and allowed Beca to pull them both into a hug, placing kisses on the heads, and holding them close to her for a second. Feeling complete for the first time in weeks. “Yeah Zo, I think it sounds perfect too.” 


End file.
